In a stunningly fast decision, a federal
appeals court in Chicago reinstated Wisconsin's voter photo
identification law on Friday — just hours after three Republican-appointed
judges heard arguments on reactivating the hotly debated law in time for the
November election.

In a brief order, a
three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago said,
"The State of Wisconsin may, if it wishes ... enforce the photo ID
requirement in this November's elections."

Wisconsin officials wasted no time in saying they would do
just that.

"We are taking
every step to fully implement the voter photo ID law for the November general
election," said Kevin Kennedy, the state's top election official. "We
are now focused on communicating with local election officials and voters, and
will have more information about the details next week."